"It's both as complex and as simple as just feeling innately that it was time. It speaks to a lot of things, none of them bad," he explained. "There is no negative reason to stop doing Big Bang. It felt like we have been able to do this for so many years now, it doesn't feel like there is anything left on the table. Not that we couldn't keep doing it, but it feels like we've chewed all the meat off this bone."

Parsons previously posted a tribute on Instagram, where he said he feels "such intense gratitude" for the show's devoted viewers, as well as the crew and his fellow cast members. Of course, there are a few upsides to moving on from playing Sheldon, chiefly the fact that he'll get a break from the character's signature t-shirts:

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"I guess at a personal level, it feels like the right time in my life. I don't know what's next for me. It's not like there is something specific I am aiming for. I'm firmly in my middle age now. I don't know how much longer I can wear [the t-shirts] without looking really long in the tooth. In a way, it's exciting. What is this next chapter of life? What is this next chapter for all of us? It will be very, very sad when it does end, even knowing [I am] okay with it. People are okay when they graduate but there are frequently tears at graduation. It's hard to say goodbye to people that you have worked with for so long."